Research: Cloud-Managed WLAN Buyer's Guide

Lisa Phifer 08/03/12

Wireless LANs Grow Up

Wi-Fi-certified n products use 802.11n wireless LAN technology to deliver untethered connectivity to laptops, smartphones and other devices in the workplace and beyond. Although WLANs can speed network installation and streamline business processes, managing these increasingly complex networks can be difficult. Moreover, as many WLANs have grown more geographically distributed and mission-critical, the stakes have risen. WLAN misconfiguration, intrusion and downtime must be avoided, so effective system management tools are a must.

WLAN management has traditionally occurred on the customer premises, but now centralized feature-rich platforms that enable sophisticated network and service management are available via public and private cloud services.

This buyer's guide discusses the similarities and differences among today's cloud-based WLAN management products to help IT harness the benefits of 802.11n along with the potential economic benefits of cloud computing. Included in this report are detailed tables that highlight the capabilities and features offered by six cloud-based WLAN management vendors: Aerohive Networks, AirTight Networks, Meraki, Motorola, Ruckus Wireless and ZyXEL. The tables are drawn from vendor responses to our questionnaire. We've also included the full questionnaire and responses from each participating vendor. (R5090712)